Thinktank says UK needs to reverse UK migration trend

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The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has said the UK government needs to reconsider its migration policy so that more migrants will stay in the country for longer, reports the Guardian.

A report from the IPPR shows that of the one million migrants who came to the UK in 2004 from the eight countries who joined the EU, nearly half have returned home. Experts have encouraged the government to reverse this trend so that the UK economy can benefit from the skills boost provided by migration.

The report has not been released yet, but the news provider claims it provides suggestions on how the government can maximise from the skills base provided by foreign students. It will also encourage legislative change so that foreign workers' skills can be better recognised against UK standards, which would fast-track the visa application process.

Laura Chappell at the IPPR has voiced concerns that the new points-based system to be introduced to the UK skilled migration program will work against lower-skilled migrants and is based on a short-term economic analysis of the benefits a migrant brings to a country. "A migrant may be entrepreneurial once they have arrived in this country, i.e. they 'create' a skill. We just don't know," she told reporters.

In response to the IPPR report, a home office spokesperson said, "Migrant labour is by no means the only solution to our tight labour market. The National Skills Strategy was launched to address the needs of our domestic labour force."

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